The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the influence of science volunteering initiatives on the experiences of women and their subsequent inclination to continue volunteering. The research sought to examine the impact of particular social cognitive variables on their eagerness to partake in events and organizations. The study…

This study examines the individual contextual characteristics of elementary school students in Korea during the phase of interest development, using Phase of Interest Development (PIT) and Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) models. Four students from each level of interest development were selected to participate, and they wrote photo-journals for…

Unstructured out-of-school time (OST) science activities, such as reading a science book, watching a science television show, or researching on the internet about science, constitute a self-sustaining way for adolescents to engage in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Although it is suggested that long-term engagement in…

The declining interest in STEM careers in the United Kingdom has raised concerns, prompting this study to explore the intricate relationship between social, cultural, and scientific identities and their impact on students' inclination towards science and technology career pathways. Additionally, the study examines the associations between gender,…

It has repeatedly been documented that there are cross-sectional gender differences in adolescents' science interest, and these differences are often considered the main factor behind the gap in enrolment rates in higher education STEM programmes. Based on expectancy-value theory and interest theory, this study models interest and tests how…

The SunSpaceArt (SSA) project, led by the author, a solar scientist at the University of Cambridge, comprises a diverse team of scientists and visual artists who run STEAM (STEM + Arts) workshops in schools, space camps and at other venues (museums, science centres and so on). The project focuses mainly on 7- to 12-year-olds, which is a key age…

In this article, the author describes the impact of the Great Science Share for Schools (GSSfS). This annual campaign has already engaged over 100,000 pupils since its start in 2016. With 2019 seeing a record-breaking 63,614 pupils registered across 483 events in 11 countries, the forecast for 2020 is looking positive. Set up by the Science &…

Gender disparities in STEM fields have been under extensive study, the focus of which has been on future career aspirations. However, the primary phases in gender differences are still ambiguous when examined from this perspective, possibly due to the fact that most of the studies have targeted samples of upper secondary school or college…

The purpose of this study is to determine how adequate preschool teachers considered themselves in the field of science, to determine their awareness on this subject and to find out how adequate they are in the field of science. This study was planned by using a phenomenological approach among the qualitative research methods and was carried out…

This paper presents the findings of a three-year longitudinal study (Grades 9-11; N = 756 students in German secondary schools; mean starting age = 14.7 years) that explores the development of and the interplay between upper-secondary students' individual interest and conceptual understanding in chemistry. Students' individual interest was…

The American Chemical Society's Chemistry Festivals, or "Festivales de Química," are community events where chemistry professionals, professors, teachers, and students use hands-on activities to engage the public and demonstrate how chemistry appears in our everyday life. The Chemistry Festival Organizers received training from the ACS,…

Women are underrepresented in science careers. To overcome this, it is important to explore how to encourage girls to continue to study science. This intervention involved girls aged 12-14 attending interactive science sessions at a university. Girls completed questionnaires before and after the session. Through the intervention, girls became more…

Science festivals are seen as a success story for public engagement with science, with numbers rapidly growing. However, research has shown that attendees at such events tend to be more affluent, better-educated and more interested in science than populations at large. This has led to calls for research into how festivals can widen participation…

This work shows the production steps of two optical fibre sensing setups which were specially designed for the activities of the 2018 Photonics Lab Open Day realized at the Federal University of Technology-Paraná in Brazil as a celebration of the first International Day of Light (16 May). The systems are based on the sensing properties of fibre…

Educational policies increasingly emphasise early childhood science engagement. As key influencers in children's early learning, parents (n = 85) attending a science workshop in three urban schools in Ireland were surveyed regarding their attitudes towards science. Seventy per cent of parents believed that science education should begin in the…